 "A suicide pact, Rs 16-crore debt: The chilling story behind Kolkata triple murder case")
The Kolkata Police believe they have finally untangled the mystery behind the chilling triple murder and alleged suicide attempts that had shaken the city last month.
According to the police investigation, the Dey family had been silently crumbling under an overwhelming debt of Rs 16 crore. With no way out, brothers Pranay and Prasun Dey, along with their wives, made the devastating decision to end not just their own lives, but also those of their teenage children.
However, when their carefully planned “suicide pact” failed, desperation took an even darker turn and spiralled into a gruesome bloodbath.
Here’s how the tragic events unfolded.
(Please note the report contains details that readers may find distressing)
On 19 February, three members of a family were found dead inside their three-storey home in Tangra, on the outskirts of Kolkata.
The victims were Romi Dey, wife of businessman Prasun Dey, their 14-year-old daughter, and Sudeshna Dey, Prasun’s sister-in-law.
In a chilling confession to the police, Prasun admitted that he, along with his wife, brother, and brother’s wife, had initially planned to die by suicide due to their crushing debt. When their suicide pact failed, it set off a horrific chain of events that ended in murder.
Two days earlier, on 17 February, all six family members consumed ‘payesh’ (rice pudding) mixed with sleeping pills, hoping to pass away peacefully. However, when they woke up alive the next morning, they decided on an alternative plan. “As per his (Prasun’s) statement, they had Plan B ready. They had decided that if they woke up alive, they would help each other end their lives,” a police official told The Indian Express.
According to Prasun’s statement, he convinced Romi to help him kill their 14-year-old daughter on February 18. “As per Prasun, Romi held her daughter’s feet while he smothered her with a pillow till they confirmed she was dead. After that, Prasun slit the wrists and throats of Romi and his sister-in-law Sudeshna and killed them. He broke down several times after confessing to killing his wife, daughter and sister-in-law,” the official added.
Pranay and his 15-year-old son were reportedly upstairs at the time and were allegedly aware of what was happening downstairs.
After the murders, Prasun took sleeping pills and went to sleep. Later that afternoon, Pranay and his son came downstairs and decided on their next move—staging an accident by crashing their car into a Metro pillar in an apparent suicide attempt. But this, too, failed.
The injured were rushed to the hospital, where they revealed to the police that three bodies were lying in their home. When officers arrived at the house, they discovered the horrifying scene inside.
Kolkata: A triple murder case emerged in Tangra on Tuesday morning. Around 9 AM, Tangra Police Station was informed by Garfa PS that Pranay Dey, a resident of 21/C Atal Sur Road, had reported finding the bodies of his wife and two other female family members at his home pic.twitter.com/MaLiIAfVlg
— IANS (@ians_india) February 19, 2025
The motive behind the crime
At the core of this horrifying crime was a financial crisis that had spiralled out of control.
During interrogation, Prasun revealed that the family was drowning in debt, owing a staggering Rs 16 crore. Their house had been mortgaged, their bank accounts were empty, and they were struggling to keep up with their expenses. Despite owning three cars, they had outstanding EMIs on two of them, amounting to nearly Rs 47 lakh.
According to an Indian Express report, the brothers had inherited a successful tannery business from their father. However, instead of focusing on its growth, Pranay and Prasun reportedly spent recklessly. Even as their financial troubles mounted, they continued to maintain a lavish lifestyle, taking frequent foreign trips, police sources said.
What’s next?
As the investigation continues, the police are preparing to arrest Pranay once he is discharged from the hospital. Once in custody, officers plan to interrogate both brothers together to piece together the full timeline of events. Authorities are also considering filing additional charges beyond murder.
Prasun has already been arrested following his confession. He was presented in Sealdah court on Wednesday and has been remanded to police custody until March 6.
According to a Times of India report, investigators plan to take Prasun back to their Tangra residence to reconstruct the crime scene. “We will finish his part first and then tally his version with that of his elder brother, Pranay,” a police source said.
Meanwhile, the police are also concerned about Pranay’s teenage son, as no relatives have come forward to take custody of him. “We have tried to contact all their relatives but no one is interested. We may have to shift him to a children’s home,” a senior police official involved in the investigation said.
With input from agencies
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